The Curse Of Eden
Epilogue

"I'm here to see Collette Woods." Adam noted to the receptionist.

"Yes, can I see an ID please." The reception nurse asked politely as Adam fetched for his wallet. His head injury had already healed, with only a small visible scar and his fractured forearm was in a smaller cast that allowed elbow movement. "Erm... She's actually having her doctor assessment at the moment. You can wait for her in the lobby if you'd like detective."

Adam offered the nurse a tight-lipped smile, taking his ID back from her and moving with heavy feet to one of the lobby seats.

Adam looked around at the plain white walls, housing numerous physiologically ill patients. The jury has been lenient with Collette during her trails, especially since she was unaware of anything Eden has been doing. Her past and condition were taken into consideration and it put Adam's heart at temporary ease. He'd be damned if he let his Collette go to jail, and while the mental Institute wasn't really a piece of heaven, it was still their best option till he figures out what to do

next.

The detective sighed deeply. Why has it come to this? Why was he not aware of his wife's condition all this time?

He ticked his tongue in a humorless manner. Heck, she herself didn't know about Eden.

His eyes roamed the plain lobby, moving from person to person and from door to door. Finally, one of the doors opened, and out came a doctor in a lab coat, Collette following behind him.

He stood instantly to his feet and marched up to the two.

"Doctor, hi. I'm Adam Woods, Collette's husband." Adam introduced, his eyes traveling to his wife's expressionless face.

"I'm well aware of who you are detective. Your story is quite popular you know." The doctor replied as a matter of factly.

"How is she?" Adam asked, ignoring the doctor's comment.

Doctor Melone turned to look at his patient. "Good, good. We'll be administering a new pill today. Just to help with the nightmares."

Doctor Melone was in a hurry to leave, barely responding to Adam's 'thank you'.

Surprisingly for Adam, I too started to take my leave. He held my arm gently, stopping me in my tracks and turning me around to look at him.

"Where are you going?" His pained voice mirrored The expression on his face.

I sighed deeply. "I'm not your wife detective. It's Eden now. Collette has been hiding away most of the time ever since we cam here."

Adam's hold on my arm was instantly a lost action as his face turned to stone.

"That's good too since you have a lot of explaining to do."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "All I wanna do is go to bed. Just let me be detective."

"It's my right to know, don't you think? You tried to kill me after all didn't you?"

I groaned. He won't let that go will he?

"Come on, it was a two-story house, I knew you won't be dead from a fall like that and you know too."

"How did you do it? How was it that you could take control and go kill all those men without alarming Collette even once?"

I sighed again. "In her sleep. That was my tick. I only come out when she sleeps, whether I force her into alumper or she sleeps on her own." I finished with a shrug. "Why did you ask Doctor Newman to-"

"Let's sit down first shall we? It looks like you'll be babbling on for a while." I cut him off, freeing my arm and walking towards one of the conjoined chairs.

"Why did you let Newman take Collette, and you of course along?" Adam repeated.

"Ruby, the protestors, and an alibi. I did that to protect her." I answered truthfully. "Ruby was starting to get suspicious of Collette, asking all sorts of questions. There were protesters too, egging Your house and causing a ruckus at HQ. I wanted to get her out of it all and at the same time remove all suspicions."

"And you thought making Newman abduct Her would protect her? What if he hurt her for a reason or another? What if he killed her? You?" Adam asked in controlled rage.

"You said it yourself detective, remember? Franco Newman is not a killer. Plus, I was there. I wouldn't have let him harm Collette."

"Adam fell silent for a second and just as I thought my questioning was over, he opened his mouth again to speak.

"I don't get it. I'm sure you didn't kill off all the Holers. Why did you choose to show yourself to Collette at that time? You should've known that she was going to hand herself in so she can hand you too and you're business will go unfinished." "That's what you think detective." I smirked at his ignorance. "My biggest portrait is yet to be displayed."

Adam's body turned towards me in full attention. "What do you mean? What are you cooking?" His flushed face and furrowed eyebrows made him look even more adorable in my mind. No wonder Collette choose him as a husband and I made a mental note to applaud her later.

I was brought out of my trance with him shaking my shoulders.

"I won't be letting you put Collette in any sort of trouble again Eden, I promise you that. Tell me what the hell did you mean!"

I looked him straight in the eyes. "You talk too much." Immediately, I did what I thought was my best route of escape and called onto Collette.

Collette's body collapsed into Adam's arms Ina split second where I woke her up and we exchanged control.

"Collette? Collette!" Adam called as he shook us awake and Collette slowly opened her eyes as she gained consciousness.

"Adam?" Her voice was weak as she called his name out in a whisper and without any hesitation, he pulled him into his chest.

"I'm so happy to hear your voice once again" Loverboy mumbled into her hair and I rolled my eyes at him, yet I had the decency to travel back to Collette's mind.

"I don't wanna be here Adam anymore." Collette started sobbing. "Please, I wanna get out of here."

"Soon pumpkin. Soon, I promise." Adam tried to soothe.

They spent some needed quality time together where Adam filled her in on everything going on outside and Collette telling him tales of peculiar characters she met. But unfortunately for them, it wasn't a place for all-day hangout sessions, and soon, Adam had to leave.

"I'll come back again tomorrow okay?" He gently pecked Collette's lips goodbye, seeing his wife's cheeks tint pink again for the first time in a while.

He smiled down at her gently, caressing her cheek before having to painfully let go.

Adam let out a deep breath once he sat inside his car and in a raging moment, he found himself screaming into the empty vehicle, pounding in frustration on the steering wheel. Rogue tears started to flow and in a moment, his anger turned to constrained cries.

It pained it that things had come to this, but it hurt even more that he can't do anything about it.

He wiped his tears from his face and started driving back towards HQ.

"Hey, how's she?" Ken asked once he stepped into his office.

Adam sighed. "She's.....honestly Ken, I don't know. Eden takes over most of the time to keep her awareness of the place to a minimum and I'm torn between thinking that it was a good thing and hating that Eden is getting stronger with being in control for long periods."

Ken sighed as well, not knowing how exactly to comfort his friend.

"I guess it was a good thing though that we went to her mother first before going in for the arrest that night."

Adam collapsed on his office couch. "When I saw Collette's face on the roof, I think I lost all reason of everything and for a second I had no problem taking her hand and running to a place far away. She caught me by surprise and pushed me off and it got me thinking. Collette would've never done that and I had to understand."

"And of course, her mother would be the one to know being the only witness to her husband's death." Ken joined.

"Things started adding up in that split second between the push until I touched the ground and lost consciousness. It was the longest five seconds in my life and you won't believe how many thoughts and conclusions ran in my head during that time. How was it that her mom came out of it speechless and sick while Collette, the kid, turned out fine? And it clicked."

"It stopped my heart for a second when I heard Mrs. Patrick speak."

Adam let out a brief laugh. "She faked it all to help keep her daughter's secret well...a secret."

Ken breathed out a groan. "All this is just messing up my mind. I need to get my brain out of my head for a while. To not think about anything."

"Me and you buddy. Me and you."

Ken got up from his place heavily like a grandpa out of breath. "Try to rest your head a little. Chief wants you in his office so try to clear your mind before that.

"Hey Ken," Adam called, making Ken turn to look at back at him. "Eden told me something today but I didn't really know what she meant."

Ken turned towards Adam fully.

"She said that her biggest portrait is yet to be displayed."

Ken mirrored Adam's initial confusion upon hearing those words.

"That's weird. Does she mean that maybe-"

Ken's words were cut short with Elliot running into the room.

"Guys look at this." He grabbed the remote control, hurriedly opening the TV where the news were playing.

"We're now standing in front of the house where the bombing had taken place. Officials are saying that a secret underground area was found, where what appeared to be a cult gathering was taking place and rumor has it that it was a Holers' meeting, the same cult that was associated with the famous E Murders. Several members of the cult have died from the explosion, fatalities adding now to a hundred and still counting."

Adam and Ken looked at each other with widened eyes.

"I guess you got the answer to your question partner."